Catamarans in Venezuela

Venezuela lies on the north coast of South America. To its north we find the Caribbean Sea, and to the northeast the Atlantic Ocean. Venezuela has more than 300 islands, islets and cays, and is an attractive tourist resort. The coastline is varied, with long straight stretches and others much more jagged with great bays and peninsulas.

The coastline of the northern shore, which meets the Caribbean, measures 4.006 Km. Of these kilometres of coast more than the half are sandy beaches beside warm and crystalline waters, under the radiant tropical sun all year round. On the Eastern Venezuelan coast, dry areas interchange with mangrove swamps, while along the Atlantic side the coast is low and boggy.

There are many places worth visiting. Off the coast in the Caribbean Sea there lie several Venezuelan islands that belong to the group called the Small Antillas, among which one can note the Island of Birds, the Archipelago of Los Roques (the only coral reef in the South Caribbean),Orchila Island, La Blanquilla, and Los Hermanos. Near the coast, in the peninsula zone of Araya, lie other islands such as La Tortuga,Margarita, and other smaller ones. Venezuel’s cities are full of life. The capital, Caracas, is the economic and political centre of the country. In the west one finds Maracaibo (the petroleum capital), Barquisimeto (the twilight city), Mérida (a tourist and student centre), San Cristóbal, Valencia and Maracay. In the east there lie Maturín (which is beginning to dispute with Maracaibo as petroleum leader), Puerto La Cruz (petroleum and tourist centre) and El Tigre. In the south we find Ciudad Bolívar and Ciudad Guayana (iron and steel centre).

The climate is tropical, but temperatures vary with altitude. In Venezuela one can actually speak of two seasons… a dry season of 6 months from December to May, and a rainy season for the rest of the year. Thanks to its geographical situation and its climatic conditions, excellent sailing possible, especially in the dry season.